Archive
#Citrix Virtual Desktop Handbook 5.x – #XenDesktop, #XenApp
Ok, this is a pretty good handbook I must admit. Have a look at it here!
And if you need help then of course you can always contact EnvokeIT! đ
And here is a good blog post about this as well by Thomas Berger:
One of the foundational project management principals is that project success occurs when it is delivered on time, within budget and with a level of quality that is satisfactory to the client. Of course these three dimensions are valid for any desktop virtualization project as well.
While a lot of information about budget planning and TCO/ROI for virtual desktop / application delivery projects can be found on the internet (e.g. http://flexcast.citrix.com/analyzeandcompare.html), the amount of information about time planning and success criteria is very low.
Since this lack of publicly available information causes every customer to âreinvent the wheelâ and therefore add some delays to their projects, we thought itâs time to provide some guidance around these topics.
The result of our efforts has become part of the newly released Citrix Virtual Desktop Handbook (http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX136546). Version 1 of this white paper focuses on the Assess phase that identifies the information required prior to starting the design phase and outlines the project management tasks I mentioned earlier.
But instead of just discussing the topics from a theoretical point of view, we provide detailed guidance and tools which can be used for your projects right away. For example you will get a sample project plan (Microsoft Project), which outlines and provides duration estimates for every step of a desktop virtualization project (sample below).
Furthermore the white paper discusses a general project methodology, describes how business priorities can be identified and provides detailed information about the roles required during a enterprise grade project (sample below).
This and even more can be found within the new Citrix Virtual Desktop Handbook..
//Richard
User-centric application delivery with Microsoft System Center and the #XenApp Connector for Configuration Manager
Another good blog post from Citrix:
This week we are happy to announce the release of the XenApp Connector for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager (a.k.a. Project Thor), marking the culmination of several months of collaboration between Citrix and Microsoft.
System Center 2012 Configuration Manager helps IT empower people to use the devices and applications they need to be productive, while maintaining corporate compliance and control. Â It provides a unified infrastructure for mobile, physical, and virtual environments that allows IT to deliver applications and manage user experiences based on identity, connectivity, and device.
More so than any previous release of Configuration Manager, the 2012 release supports the model of user-centric IT management. The new focus of Configuration Manager is one of empowering users by putting them at the center of the IT universe; one that supports user self-service, bring-your-own-device initiatives, workforce mobility, and the overall IT consumerization trend.   We are very excited about the power this user-centric model provides and how that model is realized via integration of Configuration Manager and XenApp.
So what does the XenApp Connector do? Put simply, it extends the reach of admins using Configuration Manager to a much broader range of devices and user locations. Historically, Configuration Manager has been used for management of Windows OS & applications deployed to Windows PCs, Windows laptops, Windows Servers and Windows Phones operating within the traditional IT periphery â in other words Active Directory domain joined machines.
The XenApp Connector and Citrix Receiver extend the reach of Configuration Manager to deliver apps not just to Windows devices but all kinds of office and mobile devices including Linux, iOS, and Android devices; in fact nearly every device on the market today.. Â The Connector also enables a more flexible and mobile workforce. Users are able to gain access to the applications they need regardless of whether they are in the office, working from home, or on the road.
To deliver this functionality, the XenApp Connector leverages three capabilities introduced with System Center 2012:
- Deployment Types
- User-centric administration, and
- The Application Catalog
#Citrix #BYOD Architecture overview – #XenMobile, #Mobility
I must say that this blog post is of course Citrix “twisted”, but I really like it! And it shows how Citrix provides a pretty complete offering in order to deliver Mobility- and BYO-compliant services.
The Citrix blog written by Christopher Campbell makes sense and I also agree that a picture is worth a thousand words! đ
Iâm going to make this real easy and simple. As my grandfather would say âA picture is worth a thousand wordsâ.
If youâre a XenDesktop or XenApp customer this is what your environment probably looks like.
Now this is what you need to enable BYOD and add that MAM, MDM, MIM (Data) and overall EMM functionality youâre looking for.
This is what your environment looks like after you enable BYOD.
Didnât get that? OK, here is what BYOD looks like with multiple vendors.
Now, here is what BYOD looks like with Citrix.
Got it?
Read the whole blog post here!
//Richard
February Edition of #Citrix #XenDesktop Technical Newsletter Now Available
February XenDesktop newsletter is out! Here’s a subset of what you can read from the Citrix blog post.
Using XenDesktop? Then you need to get the XenDesktop Technical Newsletter! The newsletter is comprised of the best technical resources from across Citrix Services: Consulting, Technical Support, Education, and Technical Readiness. In its third year the newsletter is designed to help customers run their XenDesktop optimally and get more out of their investment in Citrix desktop virtualization. And its FREE!
I am pleased to announce that the February 2013 edition of the newsletter is now available.
Check out the archive page, where you can access both the current and past issues, as well as subscribe to the FREE monthly newsletter.
The February edition of the newsletter is packed with great content, including:
- Optimal XenApp 6.5 VM Configuration (Blog)
- Introduction to the new Project Accelerator (Blog)
- Deploying XenApp 6.5 using PVS (Blog)
- Insider Troubleshooting tips for Administrators (eBook)
- Whats new with Excalibur (Blog)
- Top Knowledge Center content for December 2012 (Articles, hotfixes, whitepapers, etcâŚ)
- How to configure Access Gateway 5 standalone for use with XD5 (tech note)
- XenDesktop Tools & Hotfixes
- And much more.
If you have any feedback/suggestions please let us know. Also donât forget to Sign-up now!
//Richard
It all ADDS up with #BYOD (Assess + Design + Deploy + Support = Success)
Below you can read about a couple of webinars coming up on Citrix’s view on how to get your BYOD strategy up and running!
Cowboy consumerization is hereâŚand itâs here to stay. You may not want to admit it, but you already have a few âoutlawsâ in your organization who are using their own devices, regardless of whether you allow them to or not. In fact, you probably have entire departments accessing email, apps and data on devices and through services that are not secure. The consumerization of IT is here to stay, so you may as well embrace it.
When business information is accessed by user-owned, consumer-grade devices, the right technology foundation is essential to ensure IT control. The question is where to begin. What are the business, user and IT benefits of enabling bring-your-own device (BYOD)?
The business wants to make employees more productive yet remain compliant. Users want access to all their enterprise apps and data from their many devices and IT wants to ensure security and control in a way thatâs simple to manage.
Before you begin a BYOD initiative, itâs important to understand the underlying products that will become a part of your BYOD solution and their functionality and feature sets. One size does not fit all and, even though a BYOD solution may seem complex, itâs important to realize that it all boils down to addressing four key things:
- Multiple Devices â Employees are bringing their own devices (on average 3) into the workplace â whether you like it or not.
- Lots of Apps â IT have lots of them and different types (Windows, Web, SaaS and Mobile) that everyone want access to from their device.
- Unmanaged Data â Employees are..
Continue reading here!
//Richard
#Citrix #AppController 2.5 Implementation Tips – #CloudGateway, #BYOD
Great blog post by Matthew Brooks!
AppController is a component of the Citrix CloudGateway Enterprise suite that orchestrates access to Enterprise Cloud applications. Those applications may take many forms including Mobile Applications, Software-as-a-Service hosted in public clouds, and Web links. Below I provided some tips to help with the implementation of AppController 2.5 (which is the latest version as of the publishing of this blog).
System Related
Including settings such as the Hostname, SSL certificates, and Restore.
TIPs:
- Take a hypervisor level snapshot after the initial installation so that you can easily return to that base level if configuration or integrations efforts go awry.
- The hostname cannot contain special characters in the AppController certificate signing request.
- The hostname must match SSL certificate.
- The system cert must be chained to its CA/(s).
Active Directory Related
Including settings such as the Server (Domain Controller), Base DN, and Service Account credentials.
TIPs:
- The AppController only supports integration with a single domain. Multiple domains require multiple AppControllers. The NetScaler Access Gateway may be configured to allow users to access a single fully qualified domain name, yet be directed to their respective domain AppController through the use of Global Groups. See CTX116169 for more informationhttp://support.citrix.com/article/CTX116169
- All user accounts must have a first name, last name, and email address configured or they will receive an authorization error when attempting to launch applications. The bind Administrator account must also have email address configured or directory integration will fail.
- Only LDAP (TCP 389) may be configured through the wizard that must be completed initially. Thereafter LDAPS (TCP 636) may be configured through the full administration menu.
- If the server name domain name is a load balanced DNS entry the initial import may work, yet subsequent bind attempts will fail. Alternatively you may use the IP address of an LDAPS load balancer on a Netscaler with specific domain controllers configured as services. See CTX135092 for more information http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX135092
Network Related
Including settings such as the IP address, @Workweb and NTP server.
TIPs:
- Use IP private addresses as system addresses if possible. When Trust Settings are configured for NetScaler Access Gateway it does not allow SSO to public addresses. If public addresses must be used the NetScaler may be configured with an SSL Bridge to access the AppController. See NetScaler Traffic Management document for more information.
- NTP must be configured or SAML authentication may fail for SaaS sites if the time difference is significant.
- When Trust Settings are configured for NetScaler Access…
Continue reading here!
//Richard
1st Test of Webroot SecureAnywhere – #Webroot, #SecureAnywhere, #BYOD – via @WeCloud
It’s not very often that I test endpoint protection, antivirus or antimalware software. But tonight I started to have a look at Webroot and I must say that I’m really liking it!
There are some parts in particular that I like about it:
- It’s “cloud” based, so you don’t need your own costly infrastructure!Â
- It takes seconds to deploy to a new Windows instance
- It scanned the XenDesktop controller that I installed  it on in 42 SECONDS! Wow! That’s amazing! đ
- The footprint is close to NOTHING!
- The installer is just a couple of MB!!
- It fits into the BYOD model
First of I just started a new trial, which was really easy! Just log on to the webpage and register, then after entering your info you’re all set and ready do deploy your “agents”.
My first thought was that this is really great for environments where you’d like low footprint, quick installation and low maintenance efforts of your antivirus software. And the way that Webroot does the scanning of the files etc. is so great and makes the software so quick and neat!
This must be perfect for XenDesktop and XenApp environments is my thought!! I’ll try it our more and will let you know! And why not provide this as an option in your BYOD program?
Here are some reviews that I was given by WeCloud, and they pretty much (or actually more) confirm that this is some good software!
âEasy-to-use and excellently-designed malware protection with powerful central management and deployment features, and which should appeal to a wide range of businessesâ.Â
Read the review here!
AV Wars (RescuTechs LLC)
“No antivirus program we tested performed better at detection and removal of rootkits and scareware.”
Read the review here!
AV Test (Independent IT-Security Institute)
“100% Protection against 0-day malware attacks, inclusive of web and e-mail threats (Real-World Testing)”Â
Read the review here!
Itâs here! #Citrix #Receiver for Win 8/RT 1.2
The first official release for your touch-enabled Win RT tablet or Windows 8 Pro device now on the Windows Store!  It adds the ability to connect to XenApp Services and XenDesktop Services sites for Web Interface deployments, not just StoreFront enabled sites. Connections can be direct or through Access Gateway Enterprise Edition. We also added the ability to open ica files if youâre using browser access. And we shouldnât overlook the ability to save your password, if allowed by server policy.
This version will be useable in more configurations.
Click here to try this version. It is still a good idea to ask your IT department if it can be used in your environment. IT managers  can find details on configurations supported and settings at Citrix eDocs.
Here is what it provides:
- Secure access to virtual desktops and enterprise apps
- Secure access to Web and SaaS apps (requires CloudGateway Enterprise)
- Work anywhere on any Windows 8 computer or tablet
- Account configuration using your email address, a server URL, or a provisioning file
- Auto-provisioned applications
- Use one published app at a time, along with multiple Web and SaaS apps
- Automatic display of the keyboard when needed
- Use of native controls for selecting an item from a list
- Option to save your Receiver password if allowed by server
And more functionality is coming
Look for updates every few months. Among other improvements, weâve started work on multi-touch, audio, session sharing (support for multiple sessions)…
Continue reading here!
//Richard
#Citrix #StoreFront Planning Guide
Ok, this product has caused some headache since it was released. And I must say that this guide is something that Citrix should have release a long time ago… there are so many companies out there struggling with how to deal with Web Interface being faced out and how/what to do with StoreFront!
So enjoy!
Download StoreFront Planning Guide!
//Richard
Mac Receiver Launches Application and Closes Abruptly – #Citrix, #Receiver
Ok, had a bit of a “challenge” today with my little Receiver 11.7 on my Macbook Air…. the darn thing just “vanished” after the XenApp/XenDesktop session was shown for about half a second…
And the solution was the following:
Symptoms
User is unable to login from a MacBook using the Citrix Receiver for Mac. The session launches and eventually disappears without any error message.
Cause
Since the Mac devices do not have a registry like Windows devices, a license needs to be issued to the client devices name. If the device does not have a name then it cannot be issued a license. It attempts to assign a license to a null value, which it cannot do and hence the session drops.
Resolution
- Find the System Preferences Icon on the toolbar.
- Open the Sharing folder in the System Preferences options.
The IT Melting Pot! 